Windows and doors are among the most important considerations for making your home more energy efficient. Drafty doors can account for as much as 40 percent of total air leaks in a home. Though newer homes are built tighter, often with insulated entry doors, energy savings can still be enhanced significantly with a well-insulated storm door. In this segment, host Paul Ryan and door specialist Mark Brandright install a wood-core, aluminum-clad storm door. An energy-efficient door like this helps insulate the entry to the home, and also adds some curb appeal to the home. The model installed in this demonstration features an overlap frame and a magnetic weatherstrip that seals against the frame in a manner similar to a refrigerator door. The installation is fairly straightforward, and suitable for a do-it-yourselfer. Most doors come with a complete set of installation instructions. Steps in the process will vary according to model. Read and follow any directions and diagrams that come with the door you've selected. Following are the tools and steps that were required to install the door shown in our demonstration. Materials (figure A): New storm door
Power drill with a variety of bits (5/16", 1/8" and 3/32")
Hammer
Standard and Phillips screwdrivers
Pliers
Hacksaw
Sawhorses
Caulk and caulking gun
Small wood chisel
Tape measure
Spade drill-bit (3/4" or 7/8"
Square and level
Steps:
- The door comes with a removable screen that replaces the glass during the summer. Snap out the shipping clips and remove the screen and the glass panel (figure B). Removing the glass will make the installation process safer and easier.
- Set the door on its side, hinge-side on top, and remove the adjustable expander sweep.
- Place the hinged Z-bar on the edge of the door (figure C). Let it run about 1/8" above the top of the door. The bottom of the hinged Z-bar will extend beyond the frame (figure D). That extra bit will be cut off later.
- To attach the hinge bar to the door, use a center punch. Prepunch a hole at the top hinge and attach that hinge to the door with a screw (figure E). Repeat with the bottom hinge.
- Measure the hinge side of the door opening from the inside of the brick-mold to the threshold (figure F).
- Transfer this measurement to the hinged Z-bar (figure G)
- Cut the Z-bar to length using a hacksaw (figure H).
- Set the door into its proper position (figure I). It helps to have two people for this part of the process.
- Once the door is lined up in the frame, secure it along the outside frame with the screws (figure J). For now, secure only the top and bottom screw on the frame. This will enable you to make additional adjustments later if necessary.
- Once the frame is attached to the brick-mold, open the door and attach the top Z-bar channel to the brick-mold at the top of the doorframe (figure K). This is the drip cap -- a J-shaped strip designed to catch water that runs down the side of the house and channel it away.
- Measure the latch side of the door for the latch-side Z-bar (figure L).
- Transfer the measurement to the latch-side Z-bar and make the cut. Attach the latch-side Z-bar lightly to the brick-mold (figure M).
- Test the swing of the door and make sure it's a good fit. Adjust the Z-bars as necessary. Once you're assured of a good fit, go back and secure the rest of the Z-bar screws.
- Attach the inside of the hinged Z-bar to the brick-molding (figure N).
- Important:Be careful not to overtighten, as overtightening could bend the Z-bar and possibly impede the proper operation of the door.
- With the door installed, the next step is to attach the doorknob. Most manufacturers include a template to simplify this part of the job. The template adheres to the door and shows where to drill the holes (figure O).
- Important: Where you place the template is important. Be aware of the location of your entrance door's handle, and be certain that the storm-door handle won't interfere with it.
- With the template in place, mark the holes for the hardware. Using a center punch, set the holes. Using a 5/16" bit, drill the prepunched holes (figure P).
- Follow it with a 7/8" spade bit to drill a hole for the deadbolt assembly (figure Q).
- With the holes drilled, the hardware can be installed -- starting with the latch. Connect the interior and exterior latch through the door (figure R) with the screws provided.
- Line up the striker-plate to make sure that it's sitting even with the latch (figure S). Mark the striker-plate and screw it into place.
- Test the door and make sure it fastens properly when it shuts.
- To install the bottom expander sweep, start by separating the expander spline. Slide the spline into the expander track (figure T).
- Tip: Use liquid soap to lubricate the track, allowing the spline to slide easily into place.
- Place the expander sweep up to the door so that the bottom of the expander sweep is just touching the threshold (figure U).
- Prepunch the door and attach the expander sweep to the door using screws (figure V). Expanders provide a nice seal and prevent outside air from infiltrating underneath the door.
- Reinstall the glass panel. The panel is simply set right into the frame of the storm door. Insert the extruded vinyl retainers to hold the glass in place (figure W).
- The door in the demonstration features a dual closer -- meaning that there is a closer device at both the bottom and top (figure X) of the door. Install the closer hardware and test the door to see how it closes. Adjust the tension on the closer to make it close properly. Ideally the door should begin to close, then kick back once, before closing securely.
The wood-core door installed here provides greater energy savings and better durability than a hollow, extruded door. It should withstand the ravages of kids, pets and Mother Nature.
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